How eating in front of a mirror and burning vanilla candles can help you in losing weight? Check out 25 unbelievable WEIGHT LOSS tips that you’ve probably never tried before!
1. Eat In Front of the Mirror
According to a recent study, eating in front of the mirror allows you to judge your eating habits on the same scale as you do for others. Watching yourself while eating induces self-awareness regarding any destructive eating habit you might have, and helps you get motivated to modify your behavior by social standards. So try installing a few mirrors in and around your dining room, or at least position yourself in front of the mirror, rather than the TV on your next meal time. Read this post!
2. Light Vanilla-Scented Candles
In addition to promoting a surreal feeling of aromatic bliss, vanilla-scented candles have been found to dull sugar cravings within 10 minutes flat. Without cravings, you are less likely to binge on a box of chocolates or snack on other high-calorie desserts. Vanilla scents are available in aromatic sprays, incense sticks, candles and even mixed with other essential oils. Infusing the scent around your home or office cabin is an excellent way to keep your mind distracted. Visit Guardian to read the full report!
3. Blue is Your Color
There is a reason why you don’t find many restaurants decorated in blue: This cool and ravishing color is reportedly a great appetite suppressant. Some reports have surfaced to indicate that exposure to bluish light makes people eat 33% less food. This is apparently because the food looks less tempting in a room done up with blue interiors. On the other hand, colors like red and yellow increase your hunger.
4. Spice Up Your Diet
According to several parallel studies carried out on mice and humans, adding spicy stuff like hot peppers, hot sauce or cayenne pepper to recipes can help dampen appetite, rev up metabolism and consequently, trigger calorific burn. This happens because capsaicin, the active ingredient of peppers is known to decrease calorie intake by reducing the release of ghrelin (the hormone associated with hunger). You can try adding diced hot peppers in your tuna salad or scrambled eggs or even make a spicy club sandwich by mixing hot sauce into low-fat mayo.
5. Don’t Bring Your iPad in Bedroom
According to the Daily Mail, the more electronics you keep on your nightstand, the fatter you get. This is especially true for people who are already struggling with various eating disorders and depression. Researchers have discovered that people with access to at least one gadget are up to 1.5 times more likely to be obese than those without any gadgets in their bedroom.
6. Chew Gum in Between Meals
Since eons, people have chewed on bark to relieve hunger, improve stamina and freshen breath. Interestingly, replacing irregular snacking with non-calorific chewing can satisfy your cravings, resist the urge to binge on treats, as well as improve your metabolism by a whopping 19%. Another report suggests that gum chewers tend to burn around 5% more calories than others.
7. Turn Off the Lights
According to a recent study published in American Journal of Epidemiology, exposure to light during sleep doesn’t just trigger insomnia, but it might also result in weight gain. Another report revealed that subjects who slept in dark rooms with night blinds and devoid of night lamps were 20% less likely to be overweight than those who slept with lights on.
8. Sleep in Low Temperature
A report published in the Daily Mail suggests that keeping the air conditioner in full mode while sleeping can be surprisingly effective in weight loss. Colder temperature discreetly stimulates the functioning of our brown fat stores ( brown fat keeps you warm by allowing stubborn fat to burn off in your belly). Another study published in the Diabetes Journal says that people who spent weeks sleeping at 66 degrees almost doubled their brown fat stores. In other words, they lost a significant amount of belly fat as compared to those who slept at higher temperatures.
9. Watch Less TV
If recent studies are anything to go by, watching TV for more than two hours at a stretch can increase the risk of gaining weight, developing diabetes, heart disease, as well as early death. Another study published at Harvard University’s website showed that watching TV at night before sleep can hamper efforts you make towards losing weight.
10. Sniff Apple & Peppermint
Don’t underestimate the power of smell! A series of studies have shown that scents of specific foods such as banana, vanilla, and green apple can trick your brain into thinking that you have eaten them, and thus reduces your tendency to give into sugar cravings. According to a study published in Journal of Neurological and Orthopedic Medicine, people who inhaled peppermint every two hours experienced a reduction of up to 5 pounds every month!
11. Consume Vinegar
Studies have shown that drinking a tablespoon or two of vinegar before meal times can make you feel fuller faster and lower calorie consumption, thereby leading to satisfactory weight loss in the long run. Acetic acid, the major component of vinegar triggers a chemical signal in the brain that reduces the level of ghrelin secretion and promotes satiety.
12. Opt for a Breakfast Dessert
As bizarre as it sounds, having dessert for breakfast can actually reduce your tendency to consume high-calorie snack in-between meal times and curb your sugar cravings. A 2012 study revealed that people who ate a lavish breakfast that included a dessert lost around 37 pounds over eight months, as compared to dieters who followed the same diet but without the sweet treat. Visit Time to read more on it!
13. Stop Eating on-the-go
Owing to our busy lifestyle, most of us just don’t have the time to sit down and indulge in a lengthy meal. However, a recent report states that people who eat on the go tend to increase their food intake later in the day and thus experience greater weight gain. This is simply because traveling is a powerful source of distraction that disrupts your ability to focus on eating and thus experience the feeling of satiety to the fullest.
14. Flex Your Muscles
Instead of watching Netflix, to fight off food cravings, try a more effective way out: flexing your muscles and cracking knuckles. Studies have shown that people are better able to control their impulses by stiffening their muscles for around 30 seconds at a stretch. Do this for some time, or till the sugar cravings disappear (usually 10 minutes).
15. Eat More Healthy Fat
This might sound utterly strange but consuming healthy fat can actually boost your metabolism and keep you from snacking on high-calorie, sugar-loaded foodstuff, as well as giving up on your weight loss goal soon. Research has shown that cutting fat from the diet can have several psychological implications, including stress, bitterness and a persistent feeling of hunger. There are many good ways to incorporate healthy fat into your diet all day. You can have a banana smoothie for breakfast, add almonds to your salad lunch or sip on a turmeric latte after the gym.
16. Chant Mantras
A mantra when spoken with the correct tone and true desire acts as a magnet to attract favorable vibrations that invariably manifest your weight loss dream into reality. Simple affirmative phrases can keep you strong-willed on your quest for permanent weight reduction, and even help you master complex yoga poses faster. However, do note that sitting on the sofa all day and chanting some mantras can never guarantee weight loss. The Universe requires a little more effort on your part!
17. Eat Vegetables Thrice a Day
Adding vegetables to your diet is the most surefire way to shed those excess pounds. Experts recommend consuming vegetables at least thrice a day. This is simply because green leafy veggies such as broccoli and spinach are enriched with fiber and thus make you feel fuller faster, thereby reducing your tendency to consume too many calories.
18. Don’t Peel Apples
A study carried out by researchers at the University of Iowa revealed that the peel of apples contributes to weight maintenance by boosting the levels of brown fat and promoting healthy muscle retention. Over time, consuming apples with skins intact can accelerate the rate of metabolism and trigger weight loss naturally. So, the next time you decide to use apples for cooking, don’t throw away the skins.
19. Breathe Right
A group of researchers found out that lungs is a vital organ for weight reduction. Surprising, isn’t it? So the next time you get an urge to order fast food, try counteracting stress-eating with the proven 4-7-8 breathing technique. Here you have to inhale to a count of four then hold for a count of seven and finally exhale with a whoosh sound for a count of eight. Then repeat this procedure for four times.
20. Clean Up Your Desk
If you’re someone who spends a lot of time slogging on your desk, then you’re best off cleaning it, as scientists believe that a messy workspace can trigger feelings of stress, anxiety, and panic, all of this can increase your tendency to eat unhealthy snacks. On the other hand, a tidy workspace causes you to choose healthier snacks and achieve your weight loss goals in the long run.
21. Dine with Men
Weird, right? But researchers from the University of Akron found that dining with men causes both males and females to consume lesser calories than they did by dining with women. This may be because we tend to be more conscious of our gender when we are around the opposite sex. So, in other words, women limit their eating in a bid to appear more feminine, whereas men eat more in the company of women to come across as more manly.
22. Brush Teeth Thrice a Day
Brushing teeth after meal times does more than just removing dental plaque. It is also a clever trick to tell your brain that mealtime is over. Click here to learn more about this claim! This is especially effective during dinner when we often tend to consume chocolates or sweet treats to end the day on a sweet note.
23. Skip the Commercials
According to a group of researchers at Yale University, watching commercials elevates automatic snacking on foods present in the refrigerator or kitchen larder. The same study also showed that watching an hour of food ads every day for the year resulted in a gain of nearly 10 pounds, unless counteracted by physical activities. Images of high-calorie foods trigger the appetite control center of the brain and trigger hunger pangs. So the next time you’re watching TV, do ensure to skip watching the commercials related to this.
24. Use Small Plates to Reduce Weight
Eating in small plates is an amazing way to reduce serving size by tricking the brain into believing you have had your fill for the day! Switching to smaller plates can curb overeating in situations where you are needed to self-serve such as a buffet or at the dinner table. For more information, read this article available on Cornell University‘s website.
25. Drink Wine
Daily Mail in its article reported have shown that drinking a glass or two of red wine every night can increase your chances of losing weight. A 2010 study carried out at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston indicated that weight gain was highest among heavy drinkers and nondrinkers. While this discovery has no doubt stumped the researchers, one possible explanation might be that wine promotes feelings of pleasure and satiety and thus reduces the tendency to eat more.